Low-Carb Cheesy Celery Gratin features celery as a star ingredient and pairs well with any number of things, like grilled steak or roast chicken. If you’ve never tried it, you might be surprised at how celery takes on a subtly sweet flavor once cooked!
Celery, that humble veggie that seems to always take the backseat in soups and stews and is often thought of as nothing more than a vehicle for serving peanut butter or cream cheese, is surprisingly the star of this dish.
Let’s be real; of course the butter and two kinds of cheese don’t hurt either.
But if you’ve never made a dish where celery was a focus and not an afterthought, you’re in for a surprise. When it’s cooked, it takes on a slight sweetness that can almost go undetected when overshadowed by more exciting things like meat and carrots in a stew. However, when celery is a focus ingredient, you actually get to appreciate its flavor nuances. (And bonus, it’s not stringy at all when cooked!)
I find that after cooking, celery takes on a hint of sweetness as well as nuttiness; try it for yourself to see what you think. As far as cheese goes for this recipe, I recommend a combination of Cheddar and Swiss (Emmental is great here, and I think Gruyere would be too!) because I like the way Cheddar melts and I find that the subtle nuttiness of something like Emmental is a nice complement to the celery’s flavor.
More dishes where celery is the star:
- Cream of Celery Soup {Gluten-Free} from An Edible Mosaic
- Quick Pickled Celery from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
- Sautéed Celery and Shrimp from White on Rice Couple
- Spicy Blue Cheese Celery Slaw from An Edible Mosaic
- Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds, and Parmesan from Cookie + Kate
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bunch celery (I also used the leaves, but you don’t have to), sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 3 oz (85 g) sharp white cheddar or Swiss cheese (or a combination of both, which is my preference), shredded
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the celery and onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Add the stock and bring up to a boil; whisk in the cream cheese until smooth and then stir in the black pepper and parsley.
- Transfer the celery mixture to a 1.5-quart casserole dish; sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes, and then broil it a couple minutes to brown the top if desired.
- Serve.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Jen says
August 5, 2018 at 7:07 pmI had leftover celery, cream cheese and chicken broth to use up so this recipe was perfect. I can’t say enough good things about it, seriously it was so easy and tasty. A new way for me to enjoy celery. It reminded me somewhat of macaroni and cheese which is always a good thing. Total comfort food. Thank you so very much for such an amazing recipe!